Buzzard05

Another thing I "learned" last week was that if I dry (as much as you can) in that little shower "pod"....then get out quickly and shut the doors right behind you to finish drying...you trap the steam in the "pod" and your mirror doesn't fog up nearly as bad (if at all).

We did a day pass to Breezes last trip there and had a good time.

Not sure how "brilliant" this is...but we take one of our larger suitcases and put it in the closet with the top unzipped and use it as a hamper (just cram the dirty clothes in). That way when we get home, we just wheel that suitcase into the laundry room and drop it off. The only thing you have to worry about with this is the weight limit of your bag if you are flying on an airline that has severe weight restrictions (ala Spirit).

Man...where were you a week ago with that tip when my razor kept falling to the shower floor and exploding into pieces? This tip is HUGE!

Here is what I found on a recent Oasis sailing....I never had the opportunity to tip extra. You used to either sign a slip or use the card pad to have the option to leave a tip. On this cruise...I just gave them my SeaPass, they scanned it, and gave me my drink. I didn't even see a tip jar anywhere. The only place I was able to leave a little extra was at the Cafe Promenade when I got coffees as they used the card pad that you had to sign when getting a drink.

We were on Oasis and 100% agree with the OP's assessment of the NYE celebration. Crowding 4000+ people into the Promenade to scream for two minutes and then disbursing was much less than I was expecting. We did a NYE cruise on another line last year and it was truly a party. It was held outside by the main pool deck and the deck above, giving plenty of space to spread out yet still be part of the festivities. Servers brought TONS of champagne around to everyone on all decks even after midnight (The OP mentioned champagne on Harmony...I'm sure Oasis had it too, we were just too far removed to see it.) People were there well before midnight and well after and you truly felt like you were part of a big party...here it was 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...WHOO HOO / Balloons / Noisemakers.....good night. The cruise it self was awesome, and Oasis is an incredible ship (we are going back in June)...but in terms of the NYE celebration, it was a dud.

What I have seen for the free cruises for RCL and the other lines that area available on MyVegas is that they only offer select cruises for specific dates at certain times of the year. Unfortunately you can't really pick the time you go. I'm guessing they have certain cruises that they are having trouble selling out, so they offer them for "free" on MyVegas. Also, the ones I have seen offered are usually sailing within a couple weeks of the offer coming out (i.e. offer shows up on MyVegas in mid-November for a mid-December sailing). If you live close to a port, or have great flexibility in your job these are great. If you really have to plan, it can be tough to take advantage of. From what I have seen the past two years was the December and June seem to be when the "free" cruises are offered (might have been a few in November this year). Also, don't lock yourself into one cruise line. There was another line on MyVegas this fall that was offering absurdly cheap cruises in terms of points (50,000 for a 7 day)... check the MyKonami slots game too. If you sign in with the same account your loyalty coins are available there and there is a cruise line that offers cruises over there too. Good luck!

Paying for a balcony room...then forcing myself not to miss anything on the ship, that I never gave myself the time to just sit and enjoy the balcony I paid for.

Where do you book it...using the app, or is there a station onboard you need to go to? Thanks

Hi, We are 48 days out from our New Years Cruise on Oasis and I am still not seeing the Escape Room (and other similar activities) available to pre-book. Is this normal? I know when we cruised on Harmony a couple of summers ago, I was able to pre-book all of those "extra" activities. Thanks

I just booked a cruise for next summer and needed to book through RCL (due to some gift certificates I purchased). I was doing it on the website initially and seeing some conflicting information on cabin availability...so I ended up calling Royal. The price I got by calling was over $500 less than what the Website was showing me for the same cabin categories. The guy kept saying..."Oh, here is a savings we can get you, oh, here is another...." He even said that you don't usually see all of those stackable discounts together. Moral of the story is...if I hadn't called I would have never known about those other discounts as they weren't showing for me on the website. I will definitely be calling from now on (if I am not already using a travel agent).

I actually agree with you 100% here. I always choose the pick my own option as we travel with our sons in a separate cabin and I like to pick the cabins close together. Paying that extra money is worth it to me. The only thing I can think of that happened here was (as somebody said) there was only one of that cabin left for you to choose from...therefore not really a "choice" so the site bypassed the cabin selection page. The $92 upcharge when you called may have been the cost to bump into the next cabin category where there were multiple cabins available that you could choose from. Whenever you select the "Let us choose your cabin" option, it says that they will choose that cabin category for you at a minimum. It there aren't any cabins of that category left at the time of cabin assignment you will get bumped up into the next available cabin category. In any event, I don't think you should swear off an entire means of vacationing just because you had a bad experience with one vendor. That is like me having a bad experience at McDonalds and swearing off all fast food. That would cause me to miss the wonder that is Chick Fil A. I would suggest checking out other cruise lines to see if there are any trips that interest you. As a hint...whenever you choose the "Pick my own" option...before you get to the payment screen, you are always presented with a page that shows you the available cabins to choose from in that category (it is usually the very next screen). If you don't get that option before it asks you for your payment information...try the booking again on the site...and then call if you still don't see it. Good luck and I hope you guys find a trip that you are excited about for your anniversary.....maybe it will be a cruise.

With Chops being an upscale restaurant onboard, and one that you normally "dress up" for in the evening....are there any dress requirements to eat there at lunch...or can you just roll in wearing shorts and a tee shirt?

Here are some photos of the Potomac river (that flows into the Chesapeake) from last weekend. I fish on this river a lot and have seen some low tides due to a N/NW wind...but nothing like this. To be honest, these pictures don't even do it justice. I happened to drive over the river last Saturday and was amazed at how far the water was out. They said the Chesapeake had low tides that were at least 4 feet below normal. http://thezebra.org/2018/03/04/alexandrias-potomac-blows-out-to-sea-due-to-high-winds/